{"product_id":"the-monkey-and-the-inkpot-carla-nappi-9780674035294","title":"Monkey and the Inkpot: Natural History and Its Transformations in Early Modern China","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of a Chinese doctor, his book, and the creatures that danced within its pages. \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey and the Inkpot\u003c\/i\u003e introduces natural history in sixteenth-century China through the iconic \u003ci\u003eBencao gangmu\u003c\/i\u003e (Systematic \u003ci\u003emateria medica\u003c\/i\u003e) of Li Shizhen (1518-1593). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe encyclopedic \u003ci\u003eBencao gangmu\u003c\/i\u003e is widely lauded as a classic embodiment of pre-modern Chinese medical thought. In the first book-length study in English of Li's text, Carla Nappi reveals a \"cabinet of curiosities\" of gems, beasts, and oddities whose author was devoted to using natural history to guide the application of natural and artificial objects as medical drugs. Nappi examines the making of facts and weighing of evidence in a massive collection where tales of wildmen and dragons were recorded alongside recipes for ginseng and peonies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNappi challenges the idea of a monolithic tradition of Chinese herbal medicine by showing the importance of debate and disagreement in early modern scholarly and medical culture. \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey and the Inkpot\u003c\/i\u003e also illuminates the modern fate of a book that continues to shape alternative healing practices, global pharmaceutical markets, and Chinese culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Carla Nappi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0674035291\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674035294\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 250\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.13lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.38h x 6.43w x 0.88d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/30\/2009 pg. 20\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2010","brand":"Carla Nappi","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43946901635327,"sku":"9780674035294","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_cf321a77-b7c5-4156-a081-692af3c5a3dd.jpg?v=1681515673","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-monkey-and-the-inkpot-carla-nappi-9780674035294","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}